The Box
by dart53
Summary: It seemed like every cell in his mouth and throat was being torn open, it was like swallowing a handful of razor blades. He ignored the pain and lapped the rest of the water off his hands with a swollen tongue. He kept his head down, licking greedily at the rivulets of water the dripped off his hair and scalp.
1. Chapter 1

**The Box**

They'd gone in with a plan; an elaborate con to feed the Germans the misinformation they wanted them to have. That plan had to be scraped when Actor fell ill. Even though the Italian second-in-command insisted he could pull the job off, that he was, using the Warden's own words, 'fine', Garrison overrode him and fell back on older methods. Dressed as an American airman he took a walk in the woods and let himself be captured. He was taken to the local German commander, just as he expected. He was questioned, just as he expected. Garrison played the kommandant as he'd done in the past; weighing the commander's need to inflict pain against his own need to be in good enough shape to escape after he finally gave the man the information Allied intelligence wanted him to have. When he finally relented and spilled his guts to his interrogators the questioning stopped, just as he expected, and as the Germans left the room Craig's mind shifted into preparing for his escape and the group's return to England. When the door opened again he expected to be handed over for transfer to the local POW camp; that's when the enemy failed to meet his expectations.

ggg

"Well?"

Casino shook his head. "Nothin'."

"Ee's not gonna like that."

"What," Casino turned on him with an irritated scowl. "You want me to make somethin' up?" Goniff opened his mouth to reply but Casino put up his hand to stop him and cupped the earpiece so he could hear a little better. After an anxious moment he made eye contact with the pick pocket and shook his head. "What about Chief?"

"Same as you," was the dispirited reply.

Goniff jammed his fists in his pockets and turned to go back and report to Actor. They'd set up on the outside to keep an eye out for the Warden. Casino tapped the phone line and was listening in on all the calls. Even though he didn't speak the language he'd been given key words and phrases to listen for and he hadn't heard any of them yet. Chief was watching the camp where the Germans had taken the Lieutenant. Goniff had already checked with him but the scout reported that it looked like the Warden was still in with the camp commandant. Shuttling between these two and reporting back to Actor had fallen to him and, just like all the times before, he was going back to the car to deliver bad news.

g

"I never should have agreed to this." Actor sat propped in the corner of the back seat of the sedan, his elbow on the arm rest, his chin resting on his fist as he stared into the shadows that gathered around his feet in the floor of the car.

"Now," Goniff soothed. "You know you was never gonna talk 'im out of that plan a his once he got it in 'is head. We all tried it, mate. Maybe they just haven't got round to 'im yet, eh?"

Actor's hand shifted from propping up his chin to rubbing his forehead. "You may be right." Even though he'd fought it the con man's fever had drawn him into an uneasy broken sleep as the others kept watch. "How long has it been now?"

"Well…uh, it's been…" Goniff felt the knot tighten in his stomach. "It's been about seven hours now."

His head jerked up and his brain seemed to expand and then snap back to normal size in an instant. The group's second gripped the arm rest and the edge of the seat he was sitting on as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. Before he could frame another question there was a rustle in the bushes behind Goniff and Chief stepped through and approached the car. The look on his face was grave. The sound of the young man's voice seemed to echo in Actor's ears.

"We got trouble."

g

Actor sat listening to the phone traffic going in and out of the compound below. They'd found a new spot close enough to the lines for the phone tap and situated on a hill that allowed him to keep the facility under observation while the rest of the team was off gathering the supplies they needed now. His hands shook slightly has he brought the binoculars up to scan the grounds again. The aspirin from the first aid kit had helped bring his fever down but the stimulant, while it banished his need for sleep, set his already jangled nerves on edge. He heard the purr of an engine and the sound of tires on gravel and checked his watch. At least the others were still on their game, he thought, they'd only been gone a little over an hour.

The whistled signal was from Chief but Casino was the first one through the undergrowth; he headed straight for the Italian. "Anything?"

"Routine traffic," Actor squinted up at the men standing over him. "Nothing about the Warden, or the information he was supposed to give them."

"Blimey! What 'n the Hell 'r they waitin' for!?"

They couldn't console themselves with the possibility that the Germans just hadn't started Garrison's questioning any longer. That particular explanation was blown to pieces when Chief saw two guards drag the Warden from the commandant's office and lock him in a small metal structure that sat in the middle of the compound. It didn't take the young man's keen vision to see that the Lieutenant had already suffered at the hands of his captors.

Casino reached down to take the head set from Actor but he was waved off. "I'll continue to monitor. You had better get some sleep."

There was no argument from the three men that stood in a semicircle around the Italian con man. They'd had time to have a conference in the car on the way back. Actor could be just as stubborn as the Warden once he'd made a plan. Trying to change his mind was just going to waste time and energy so they'd already decided to go along with him,.. mostly. Casino went back to the car and stretched out to rest. Chief faded away to see to their security and Goniff hunkered down next to the con man to keep an eye on him.

Four hours later Casino and Chief were back; they'd keep an eye and ear on the compound for the rest of the night. Actor was dispatched to the car with Goniff continuing on in the role of nursemaid.

g

Goniff approached the man sitting with his back against the pole. "I'm afraid t' ask, but…"

"Oh I heard loads a stuff through these things." Casino told him in disgust. "Just nothin' I was listenin' for."

"What kind a game are they playin' at down there?" The pick pocket held out a canteen of water and a sack that held some bread. He stuck his hands in his armpits to warm his fingers as soon as the safe cracker took them from him. "You don't think the Warden's still holdin' out on them, do you?"

Casino gave a snort. "How the Hell should I know? He's pulled crazier stunts before." He turned his face as he concentrated on the headphones and, after a moment, shook his head to answer the unasked question. "How's Actor doin'?"

Goniff sucked on his lower lip a moment. "Not good. Fever's back again. I tried to keep the aspirin goin' whenever he was awake but mostly 'ee wouldn't have it. Knowin' the Warden's hurt… he's keepin' the stuff back for 'im. Ee was off his head most of the night. Seems to be settled down a bit now."

"You get any sleep?"

The little cockney gave shrug. "Dozed a bit when he was quiet. You?"

"A little. I turned the sound up so it'd wake me if they made a call."

"Chief?"

"Same thing. He curled up here when it looked like the place was buttoned up for the night." The conversation stopped while Casino concentrated on a call. "I think that guy sleeps with is eyes open anyway."

There was a soft rustled and the two men turned to watch the group's point man approach. They could both read the concern on his face.

"They hauled him back into the office soon as the sun hit the ground down there. Didn't keep him long though. He's already back in the box." Chief had been out on the bluff just at the edge of the trees where the view was unobstructed. He'd been out in the sun while the others were still shivering in the shade of the trees. The collar of his uniform was open; the sleeves pushed back off his forearms. The scout scanned a sky that didn't have a cloud in it. "Gonna be hot today."

All three of them turned to stare down at the camp. It was several minutes before anyone spoke and then it was Chief.

"I was in the box once." Silence descended as the other two cons waited for him to continue. "Shape he's in the Warden's not gonna last long."

Casino shoved to his feet, pulling the headphones off as he stood. He handed them over to Goniff and recited the three most important words to listen for. Gefangen – Amerikaner - Intelligenz. He reminded the pick pocket of the name the Warden was using on this caper and then headed for the car. Chief trailed him by a couple of yards.

They found the con man propped up in the corner of the backseat of the car. His long legs were stretched at an angle across the seat. The blanket they'd found in the trunk was tucked around him and Goniff had even taken his own jacket off and draped it over his shoulders to help keep him warm. His face was flushed and perspiration beaded across his forehead and caused the hair framing his face to curl. He was uneasy in sleep, like he was having a bad dream, but it still took a good shake to get him to open his eyes.

"What is it?" He asked the two men peering anxiously at him over the front seat of the car.

g

They had to give the report twice; cutting big words into small ones, long sentences into short so the information made it through the Italian's fever. They fed him water and bread while they were at it, even though he did want any. Casino rummaged around the back and found the first aid supplies Actor carried. Sorting through the contents of the kit he found the packet of aspirin and another one filled with sulfa tablets. Dumping a dose of each in his palm he held them out to his teammate.

Actor rubbed absently at the back of his neck and shook his head. "No, abbiamo bisogno di mantenere quelli per lui."

"You get that?" Chief asked.

"Most of it," Casino replied before he turned on their stubborn con artist. "Look, I don't know what's goin' on down there in that camp but it sure as Hell isn't goin' the way the Warden planned. They should a kicked him lose by now…. So he's either holdin' out on 'em for some stupid reason or he's spilled it and they're hangin' on to him anyway. Either way we gotta go in there and get him out. And we can't do that without you. And you can't do it without these. Now are you gonna take the damn pills on your own, or do you want me to shove them down your throat for you?!"

Actor's head came up with a jerk. It felt as if he'd just been dashed in the face with ice water. The reasons he had for refusing the medication were good ones… he thought… at first…. He held out his hand, the look on his face a bit sheepish. "I'll prefer to do it myself, if you don't mind."

g

Goniff glanced up when the bushes rustled and he waited for Casino to step across the small clearing. "Well?"

"He took the pills."

"What d'we do now?"

"We wait." Casino settled his back against the pole and reached out for the headphones.

Goniff took the headset off and handed it over. "How long?"

"How the Hell should I know?! 'Til those pills take effect…" Casino listened for a moment then tweaked the dials on the box that sat on the grass between them. 'Til we hear somethin'."

g

Garrison groaned. Every part of him hurt from the beatings he'd taken and the hours he'd spent in his metal cell. While he thought he'd freeze during the night now that that sun was up he was sure he would roast alive in the iron box that had become his prison. The heat was a physical weight pressing down on him. It dried and cracked his lips and throat, his tongue seemed thick in his mouth from it and he was sure he could hear the crackle as it seared his lungs.

'Well this plan sure didn't work', he thought. What had the plan been exactly? Oh, yes. He'd let himself get picked up and he'd given the Germans the information… Hadn't he? He thought he had… Maybe not. Maybe they were softening him up by baking him in this oven before they started their questions. No. He told the commandant. He knew he had… Hadn't he? Right before the guy could follow through on his threat to shoot him if he didn't. He must have. That was the plan, right? But if that was the plan what happened to the rest of it? He was supposed to give the Germans the information and they were supposed to send him to a POW camp. What went wrong? Why was he still here?

Maybe he hadn't given them the information after all. That had to be it. He was going to give the Germans the information and then his men were going to rescue him somewhere along the route to the next camp. They were listening in on the camp phone system; waiting for the information he gave to be passed along. He ordered them not to make a move until they heard that. They hadn't made a move so... He must not have told the commandant yet… or they'd been picked up. Craig refused to let his mind wander down that path. He'd ordered them not to make a move until they had evidence that his information had been transmitted. They didn't have that evidence yet, that was all. He hadn't done his job yet…hadn't completed his part of the mission yet.

Garrison stiffened when he heard the screech of the hasp being thrown back from the lock. The top of the metal cabinet was pulled up and the guards let it fall open with a resounding crash that set his ears ringing. After the darkness the glare of the morning sun blinded him. He was given an order to stand in broken English and he tried to comply but the heat sat too heavily on him. The guard showed his displeasure by delivering a blow to his midsection with the butt of his rifle. He barely felt the hands that pulled him out of the box and across the compound, coming to his senses only when they moved into the shade of the building. 'Give them the information,' he reminded himself.

g

"You must turn onto your stomach."

Garrison instinctively jerked away from the voice and came in contact with the side of the box. The metal was hot enough to burn. He got away from it as quickly as he could but remain huddled near the side of his small cell.

"Come. You must turn over now," the voice wheedled. "Try."

'How can anyone be in here? The box is too small,' he thought. Maybe they put him in another box… Maybe there was really someone there… Maybe. Maybe he was just going crazy. He started sliding his hand through the dust in the direction of the voice. "Who are you?"

"Don't try and touch the walls, you will only burn your fingers." His new companion advised him. "I will tell you who I am after you have turned over onto your stomach."

Garrison stayed on his back and tried to decide if he had the energy to do as he was told. He tried to decide if he found the energy if it seemed reasonable to expend it doing what he was asked. He decided it wasn't. "I can't," he told his roommate.

"You must!" the voice demanded. There was a pause and it started up again. "If you wish to survive you must turn over. I cannot help you. I… cannot use my hands. Come. You must turn over," the voice repeated. "You must…. You must…."

'This guy must be related to Actor,' Garrison thought. He groaned again. If he was going to get any peace he was going to have to do as he was told. Craig hiked a hip up and started to turn, his shoulder hit the top of the box and the heat seared through what was left of his shirt. He dropped back onto his back.

"Put your hands over your face and press your arms together…"

A brow arched up in the oppressive darkness and he waited, gathering strength for the attempt. He cupped his hands over his face and pressed his elbows together. Pushing with a foot he turned his body up and over onto his face; his arm brushing across the hot under surface of the lid of the box. His success exhausted him but the dusty air he was breathing in now was marginally cooler with his face pressedclose to the soil.

"Keep a hand cupped over your mouth."

Garrison tried it. After a few moments he thought his mouth and throat might not be quite so dry.

"When they come for you don't move when they open the box. Sometimes they throw water to get you to move. Keep your hands cupped to your face. Drink the water if it comes. No matter how badly it may taste, drink the water." There was a pause. "The kommandant will do the same thing to revive you if he thinks you have fallen unconscious. Try and make him believe you are unconscious…"

The other man didn't ask for information, he wouldn't have gotten any answers anyway. Any questions would have put Garrison on his guard. It was a pretty common trick to try and get a plant close to a prisoner… just another way to try and get information out of him. Garrison knew that. The man just talked; about himself, about his family, and about what it was going to take to stay alive in here. Craig tried to listen but he couldn't fight the fatigue that seemed to be reaching up out of the ground to claim him. He tried to listen, to remember…

g

When the top of the box groaned open he remembered to remain motionless. The guard cursed him from above and then reached down and violently shook him by the shoulder. He still remained motionless. The man cursed him again and called out for help. Water cascaded over his shoulders and into his waiting hands. He plunged his cracked lips into the precious fluid and sucked it into his mouth and swallowed. It seemed like every cell in his mouth and throat was being torn open, it was like swallowing a handful of razor blades. He ignored the pain and lapped the rest of the water off his hands with a swollen tongue. The guards reached in and pulled him from the box and started hauling him off to the kommandant's office. He kept his head down, licking greedily at the rivulets of water dripping off his hair and scalp.


	2. Chapter 2

ggg

They waited for the medicine to take effect and while they waited they watched and listened. All of them knew what to listen for now, all of them took a turn with the headphones clamped over their ears. Waiting to hear, praying to hear, anything that would prove the Warden's message was being passed along. The second part of the mission hinged on that. Until that message went out they didn't have any official reason to know Garrison was imprisoned there. Until that message went out there was no excuse for Actor to arrive, dressed in his finery, and demand the kommandant turn the Lieutenant over to him. And regardless of their prayers they didn't hear anything about the Warden or his information as they sat up on their hill and watched and listened and waited.

g

It took another twenty-four hours for Actor's fever to break back far enough to allow him to think and plan. He told them he needed to go into the town that lay nearby; he needed to gather information on both the installation where the Warden was being held and the man commanding it. Goniff and Casino continued the surveillance and Chief was dispatched to drive Actor in and be there in case there was trouble and he needed help. The con man objected but he was no match for his three determined teammates.

When they returned several hours later Actor had the plan in his head, he just had to convince the others to go along with him. Prepared for an argument, especially with Casino, he was surprised to find all of them more than willing to follow his lead.

"You sure this little con a yours'll get that bastard shot?" was Casino's only question.

"It should."

"When do we go?" Chief asked.

"Right now if you all know what you are supposed to do."

It didn't take them long to gather the rest of the supplies they needed and get ready. They were masters at it. In under an hour a large German staff car pulled up to the gate of the compound. Actor and Casino were dressed as SS officers; Chief and Goniff as simple soldiers. The con man was at his arrogant best and got them through the gate with no trouble. The guard sent word ahead and a simpering lackey was waiting for them on the steps of the command building. The men formed up behind their second-in-command and were escorted to the kommandant's office.

Actor's methods were basic. He arrived in the office ahead of their fawning guide, giving the post commander no warning, no way to get ready for them. As soon as he pushed through the door he was hurling orders and insults. From the intelligence he'd been able to gather in town he knew those under his command despised the officer facing him. It was only a matter of minutes before those who had been abused by their kommandant turned on him and were beginning to do the con man's bidding.

"Bringen Sie dem Gefangenen." Actor snapped the order at the soldier who'd escorted them to the office. When the man hesitated briefly and, falling back on his training, looked to his commander for leave to go he got a shouted "Sofort!" to help him make up his mind to move. As soon as the guard started for the door Actor turned on Goniff and Chief. "Gehen Sie mit ihnen. Sprechen Sie mit keinem."

He'd gone over the plan with them rehearsed them in the car until they knew their parts. They took off as soon as they heard their cue to get moving. He didn't really need to tell them not to speak to anyone; they wouldn't have been able to anyway.

Actor and Casino were left listening to the kommandant as he protested his innocence. The Italian con man turned on him, his hand rested on the leather holster at his waist. "Es kann einen Verräter in diesem Zimmer geben."

At the word 'traitor' the staff members present in the office shifted subtly, stepping a little closer to the two SS officers. They faced their disbelieving commander and more than one hand found its way to the side arms they all wore.

g

It was all Goniff could do to keep the shock off his face when they pulled the Warden out. Chief did a better job of it. He knew. He'd spent time in the box in Prior's prison. Still, it took every bit of his control to maintain that detached, disinterested look and to just let the Kraut guards manhandle Garrison across the compound and into the office where the others waited.

When they got back the atmosphere had definitely changed. The Germans had their weapons drawn…every one of them pointed at the kommandant. It was going just like Actor said it would. All they had to do now was get out with the Warden.

ggg

Actor's eyes narrowed and the muscle at the angle of his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth but years of practice allowed him to master his features instantly. Anyone observing him would have thought the look was one of revulsion rather than concern. Casino wasn't as accomplished; he was mad, and it showed. He started forward without thinking and in the next second when he came to his senses he covered by pacing a circuit of the office. He directed his scowl at the camp commandant when he returned to his original position and was pleased to see the man had broken out in a sweat.

Taking a swaggering step forward Actor approached the prisoner who hung between his two guards. "What is your name?" he demanded.

Garrison never moved; he seemed insensible of his surroundings. The fingers of his left hand curled into the hair at the top of the Warden's head and the group's second pulled up with a jerk so he could peer into his face. "I have asked you a question! What is your name?" he shouted again. Garrison's bruised swollen lids moved but his eyes were dull, clouded. His cracked lips moved slightly but there was no sound.

Actor released his hold. "Take him to the car," he said with disgust.

"No! Stay where you are!" the base commander countermanded. "Major, I demand…."

Actor turned on his heel and faced the German officer across the desk. "Demand? You demand? You who have a valuable prisoner who you failed to report instead of transferring him as you are required to do? You who have kept what he has told you to yourself rather than forwarding it on so that our intelligence could evaluate and confirm it and then make use of it? You demand? No, captain, _I _demand. I demand to know how long you have been working for the enemies of the Third Reich?!" Actor glanced over his shoulder at the guards that still stood supporting their prisoner. "Take him out!"

g

Chief and Goniff trailed the soldiers as they made their way out of the office and down the hall and then on through the doors that opened onto the compound. They could still hear angry voices coming from the building behind them. Just as they reached the staff car a single shot rang out. The two guards came to a halt, their backs stiff, but they didn't turn. Behind them the two cons shared a worried glance, after a few moments Chief unshouldered the rifle he carried and gently prodded the man in front of him in the back with the barrel. The procession silently started forward again. Goniff quickened his step and opened the door of the car and the Germans shoved Garrison in the backseat before they executed a crisp about-face and left.

Goniff slid into the back next to the Warden; Chief took his position behind the wheel. At the sound of gunfire soldiers had converged on the administration building. They counted at least half a dozen men going in, weapons drawn, ready for trouble. They watched a steady flow of soldiers make their way to the building. All of them had weapons; all of them appeared ready to use them. The soldiers formed up around the structure, a squad covering every side, every door. The two men watched as the sentry at the entrance closed and barred the gates.

"What d' we do?" Goniff asked anxiously from the back.

"We wait."

Fifteen long minutes later the door finally opened and Casino stepped through. He turned and held the door. Chief started the car and put it in gear. After another stomach churning delay Actor appeared on the broad steps, there were two German soldiers flanking him but they were quickly dispatched with an irritated wave of his hand. The first man headed for the patrols that had their guns trained on the party standing at the entrance to their headquarters; the second raced across the compound towards the gates. The con artist beckoned them with a raised chin and stood adjusting his gloves as the car moved forward. When the vehicle rolled to a stop Casino opened the door and allowed Actor to settle himself comfortably on the front seat before he took a position behind him, next to their prisoner.

As they approached the gate to the compound swung open. Actor didn't acknowledge the stiff armed salutes of the soldiers as they passed. Chief guided the large car onto the road and gently accelerated away from the facility. All of them remained sitting face forward; no one paid the slightest heed to the prisoner who was slumped against Goniff in the back. The vehicle maintained its sedate pace until it rounded a curve several hundred yards from the gate.

"Floor it!"

Actor turned in the seat cursing his decision to ride in front. "How is he?"

"Burnin' up." Both men in back answered as they carefully worked to pull the Warden around to lay across the seat. "Man, his heart's really racin'," Casino added.

Goniff stretched his hand down into the shadows at the floor and retrieved a canteen. He opened it but before he could offer it to the Warden he was halted by a warning.

"No, Goniff. That will be too much. His body won't be able to absorb it." Actor reached into his pocket for a pristine handkerchief. At the muted snap of his gloved fingers the pick pocket handed over the container of water and the con man used it to saturate the fabric. "Here," he handed the sodden cloth into the back. "Let him have this."

He squeezed a couple of drops into Garrison's mouth and then rested the water soaked material over his caked cracked lips. Nothing happened. The Warden seemed indifferent to the offering when the cockney expected he'd be disparate for it. He'd just looked up to say so when the Lieutenant's body seemed to jerk and he swallowed spasmodically. Goniff waited but it didn't happen again. He retrieved the cloth and squeezed it; slowly guiding the precious water drop by drop into Garrison's mouth.

"Blimey! Who got killed back there?"

"The camp kommandant." Actor answered.

"Who done the killin'?" Chief asked.

"His second-in-command," the con man supplied. "I gave him and field promotion and put him in charge."

"Now see," Casino said as he soaked his own handkerchief and laid it over Garrison's eyes. "That's why you aways gotta be good to the help."

Chief checked on the activity in back with a glance in the mirror. "He know we got him?"

Casino raised his right hand; the Warden's fist curled around the safecrackers first two fingers. A relieved smile lit Casino's face. "Yeah. He knows."

g

"The other man?" The words were barely audible. Actor leaned in until his ear hovered over the Warden's lips. "You got him out… Where is he?"

"There was no other man." Actor told him again. As soon as he had been able to speak the quest for this man had started. A delusion brought on by the Lieutenant's dehydration and high fever the group's medic surmised and even though his condition was improving slowly his fixation persisted. "No other prisoners were being held there."

Garrison rolled his head slowly back and forth. "He was there. He was with me." He lay quietly for a few moments. "Donato Salvatore DeLuca. He has three kids." The words came haltingly. "His wife raises orchids." There was another pause before he turned and struggled to rise from the bed. "I have to go back. I have to get him…"

Actor easily barred the Warden's attempt. "There is no one to go back for." He settled Garrison back on the pillows as his strength ebbed away.

"But he was there," the Lieutenant insisted. "He helped me. I owe it…"

"We would not have left another person there. Especially someone who had helped you." Actor's voice had a commanding edge to it that caused the look on Garrison's face to change from determined to slightly unsure and confused. "You know that is true, don't you?" he continued more gently. "What did he do? How did he help you?"

The Warden seemed to puzzle over that for a moment. "He told me what to do to survive."

"But your training… You already knew what to do."

"He reminded me." Garrison insisted and winced on the words.

Actor slipped an arm in behind the pillow and raised the Lieutenant up so it would be easier for him to sip from the cup he held in his other hand. "I believe this man you remember was a construct of your imagination so that you would not have to be alone while you were in that box." The cup was withdrawn and the Warden settled back on the bed. "You survived due to your own skill and knowledge."

The look on his face was a bit dubious. "I don't know…."

"Well, I do. And you must trust me on this."

"I suppose." Garrison relented as his eyes closed.

Actor waited several moments to see if the argument would be revived for one last round as had happened in the past but the Warden slept on. He refilled the cup and adjusted the blankets before he slipped out of the room.

Casino looked up when the door opened and Actor stepped through. "He still determined to go back after his imaginary friend?"

"I am afraid so." The con man smiled. "But I believe I am beginning to win him over."

ggg

It had taken a few days for Garrison to be in good enough shape to travel. Once they made it back to England he'd spent some time in the hospital. He still hadn't been released to active duty, though the Brass had him reviewing intelligence to 'tolerance'. He'd been going over the latest batch of files for the last five hours. Actor decided he would have to speak to the Warden again about how much he could tolerate.

When he entered the Warden's office he found the younger man at the window staring off across the gardens. "Warden?" He waited at the door but Garrison didn't turn to acknowledge him. "Is anything wrong?"

"I'm not sure." Garrison turned and walked back over to his desk inviting Actor in with a lift of his chin and directing him to the extra chair with a tipped head.

Actor took his seat and waited; like Chief the Warden would tell him what he wanted him to know in his own good time.

Rather than settling down in his chair Garrison lifted a file off his desk and slowly paced back over to the window. He turned and rested his shoulder against the wall so that the sunlight fell on the pages he held in his hands. "This is a report on a potential double agent."

"For which side?"

The Warden gave a quick smile. "Ours." He folded back the first page and scanned the second. "An Italian. Seems he spent some time in the states. English is excellent. Trained as one of their commandos. Expert with explosives."

"How can he be trusted if he is in their army?" the con man asked as he started the ritual of lighting his pipe.

"He was press-ganged into service when he returned home for his mother's funeral. And he isn't in their army anymore. He deserted." Garrison tossed the papers on the desk and settled on his chair. "Seems he got fed up with being ordered to kill civilians and blow up churches."

"Well," Actor shrugged as he concentrated on getting the pipe to draw properly. "If he clears the security checks it sounds as if he would be a valuable asset." The Italian's dark head came up. "They are not sending you over to check him out, are they?"

The Lieutenant shook his head and reached out to pick up another set of papers. "Too late. He got himself killed a month ago. The report just came through."

"What happened?"

"The group he was with got caught. He was wiring a bridge when the Germans picked him up." Garrison retrieved the original report, layered the additional pages on top and aligned the edges before he folded down the corner to keep them together. "Happened about a mile from where we were."

Actor's interest piqued. "Was he taken to the same camp?"

"Same camp; same camp kommandant."

The con artist was developing a sense of foreboding. "Does that report say exactly how he died?"

Garrison nodded his head. "He was questioned for several days and when he still refused to give up any information he was taken outside, a ligature was tied around each arm, just below his elbows. Then his hands were cut off and he was dumped into an iron box in the middle of the compound where he was allowed to bleed to death.

"There was a witness to this…."

"The man who sent this report watched it all from a hill above the camp." The Warden rose from the chair and picked up the papers. He stepped around the desk and paused to lay the file in front of his second before continuing towards the door. "The guy who died,... His name was Donato Salvatore DeLuca."


End file.
